Date: 05/11/2001
From: SouthernSlider

Ah, sweet Friday. How heavenly.
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Chapter Five

Quinn’s face paled as he read the pages in the book Colin had put before him. His hands were shaking as he flipped through them in record fashion.

“Q-ball, you planning on telling us what gives?” Remmy asked. He was getting impatient to know what they knew. Obviously it wasn’t good.

Quinn looked up from his reading. “It’s me, Remmy.”

Remmy and Maggie turned to each other with a frown. “What do you mean, ‘it’s you’?”

“My double is the one that discovered time-travel on this world.”

“You’re kidding!”

“No, he was working on another experiment -- this book doesn’t elaborate -- and when it came time to test it, he actually went back in time.” Quinn stopped his explanation to read some more.

Remmy chuckled at the outcome of the event. “I should have known. Just another boy-genius in his basement playing around with things he shouldn’t.” He thought for a minute. “Wait. Maybe, it wasn’t time travel at all. Maybe he slid to a parallel world that wasn’t as advanced as this one, and he thought he was in the past!”

“I would agree with you, Remmy, except for one thing.”

“What’s that?”

“Sit down. You, too, Maggie.” He took a deep breath before continuing. “According to this, Professor Maximillian Arturo received a letter from Quinn Mallory
via the Western Union office. They said it had been sitting there for years, with express instructions to deliver it on that particular day and time.”

Remmy couldn’t contain himself. He laughed right out loud. “Oh, come on, Q-ball. You don’t expect us to fall for that.”

“I think it would be possible to do,” said Colin.

“Yeah, me too,” added Maggie. “If he went back in time, he could write a letter explaining things to the professor, and have it delivered.”

“Oh, come on, guys. It’s Back to the Future! He’s pulling your leg.”

Maggie and Colin looked at Remmy as if he had lost his mind.

“You know . . . Marty McFly, Doc Brown. The last scene of Back to the Future II, to introduce the third episode.” He still received blank stares. “Quinn, tell them you’re just funnin’ with us.”

“I’m afraid not, Remmy. It’s all here in black and white. It really happened.” Quinn handed the open book to his baffled friend. Remmy jerked the book from his
fingers and scanned the pages briefly.

“What a freakin’ coincidence,” he muttered as he read.

“You want to tell us what he’s talking about, Quinn?” Maggie said.

Quinn explained the movie while his friend continued to read. “What Remmy is reading now is the results of Quinn’s time travel.” Quinn stood for a moment to collect
his thoughts.

“He went back in time to keep his father from dying.” Quinn swallowed hard. That’s one of the first things he, himself, had thought about doing. “He wrote down
everything that was going on each day, even his thoughts and ideas, then instructed each letter to be delivered at a certain time. The last letter the professor received was the day before the accident was supposed to have occurred. He never received another one, and never heard from Quinn again.”

“What happened?” asked Maggie.

“The book doesn’t say, but I intend to find out.” Quinn headed straight for the telephone book. Looking under the A’s, there he found the professor’s name. “I’m going
to talk to Professor Arturo.”

Still in rumpled clothing from sleeping in a chair, Quinn grabbed his jacket and headed for the door, book in hand.

“Hey, wait for us, Q-ball.”

“Remmy, I’d really rather do this alone if you don’t mind. Please. Just this initial meeting. We can all get together later.”

“Sure, Q-ball. I understand,” Remmy said. He watched his friend close the door behind him.

“Do you think that is wise, Remmy?” Colin asked.

“Yeah, I do, Farm-boy. Q-ball has got some ghosts to confront. And he’s got to conquer them all on his own this time. We’ll be here for support when he returns.”

Quinn left the building in a fog. He was going to see his professor. Albeit, not the one he had dealt with through the years, but he was sure the man would be a very
close second.

Hailing a taxi, he endured the ride with all sorts of thoughts crowding his mind. What would he tell the man about himself? Would he have to reveal the fact that he
wasn’t the professor’s Quinn? Could he get by without telling the man about sliding? Did he want to? This professor was a man of science. Of course, he could believe
Quinn’s story, and would relish the possibility of traveling between worlds as well as through time.

What happened to his double? Why did the professor never hear from him again? Did something go terribly wrong, like his own sliding adventure, or did this Quinn save
his father, and choose to stay in the past with him? Why didn’t he bring his father back to this time with him?

The questions were swirling around in his mind so fast, he became physically dizzy. He realized his body was in a cold sweat; there was ringing in his ears. When the
taxi finally stopped at the address he had given the driver, Quinn was so weak, he wasn’t sure he could get out. His knees buckled as soon as he tried to stand.

“Hey, man. You okay?” asked taxi driver.

Quinn held onto the side of the taxi to steady himself. “I’ll be fine. Just give me a minute before you drive off.” He threw the man a twenty and told him to keep the change.

“Hey, you just take your time, buddy.” The driver grinned, then stuffed the bill in his money pouch.

After a few deep breaths and several minutes of talking to himself, Quinn seemed to regain his balance, and headed for the sidewalk. Walking slowly up the steps, he stopped and clutched the rail as the dizziness tried to return. Mumbling to himself once again, he forced himself forward, one small step at a time.

Raising his hand to knock on the door, he stopped it in mid-air, then suddenly rapped his knuckles against the wood. His heart raced, pounding against his chest wall.
The sound of a huge bass drum filled his ears. He knocked again. When the door opened, there stood the double of the man he had missed so much.

“Sweet Jesus, Mary, and Joseph!” was the greeting he received.
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And there you'll be left until Monday. This weekend is busy from dawn till midnight. Hope yours is a great one.

SS

Enter the Professor

Date: 05/11/2001
From: DieselMickeyDolenz

Not to be confused with 'Enter the Duck' :P

Very nice writing, SS. It's good to see even S4 Quinn has some feelings. I'll be out of town next week, but if possible, I'll check in to keep up with your story.

DMD

Very Interesting

Date: 05/11/2001
From: sliderlynn

I'm really enjoying your story SS. I love all the twists
that you have in it. I can't wait for Monday to get here.
I'm on the edge of my seat. That is how I like my stories. Please keep up the good work.
We are having trouble with our computer so I wasn't able to check in last night.Plus I'm also a care giver,so
we had to take care of the parents needs last night.Very
busy night. Take care. :)

Good story!

Date: 05/11/2001
From: ColinsGirl

I am enjoying your story. I haven't been getting on too much lately. Too many frying pans in the fire. Keep up the good work. Will be looking forward to your next installment.

And...

Date: 05/11/2001
From: Missye

...the plot thinkens.

It's good to see Quinn missing the Professor. And that he is seeing the guys double.

Remmy's joke about Back to the Future. That was nice.
Can't wait till MOnday.
Missye

I'm looking forward to the rest!<nt>

Date: 05/14/2001
From: Yeontoo

Blessings

Original URL http://www.scifi.com/bboard/browse.cgi/1/5/1095/3385
Nominated by DieselMickeyDolenz